The Best of What's Around
by coffeeberry
Summary: Starting from "All In," House is going to try not to screw this one up. Hameron.
1. Your Eyes Are Troubled: Prologue

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, not mine. But can I have House for an early Christmas present?

I was listening to my ipod on shuffle and I kept hearing song after song that reminded me of House and Cameron, their current relationship and what I wanted it to be. So I came up with this. **Also, I've created a playlist to go with this story, go to my profile for the links. :)**

This chapter has no song references (a first for me!) since it's the prologue, but I need you guys to do me a favor. Review? I have no idea if this is any good of if this should be continued, so feedback would be great. Much appreciated. :)

And this starts at All In, but House took the patient at the beginning of the Poker Night fundraiser, and they diagnosed and started treatment before it was over.

**Your Eyes Are Troubled: Prologue**

Cameron stared at the off-white tablecloth, willing herself not to look up. Nothing could force her to watch him laugh with Cuddy and Wilson as they played poker. She wasn't jealous, of course not. She was intelligent, beautiful, charming, and independent. She didn't need constant reassurance of love, and could manage to spend a night by herself. Most men would love that.

Most men. Time and again she had to remind herself that House was not most men. Other than his satisfying, yet blush-inducing reaction in his office earlier, he had not said a word to her all night. He had, on the other hand, spent a good portion of the evening mocking Cuddy and her "fun bags." Lost in her thoughts, she barely heard one of the other ducklings asking her to dance. She nodded her acceptance and took Foreman's hand, grateful for the distraction, unaware that House had now commenced glaring at Foreman whenever he thought anyone wasn't looking.

"So what's going on? I could hear you thinking from all the way across the table." Foreman knew well what her answer would be, but thought he'd give her the courtesy of asking.

"Just concerned for the patient. I know he'll be okay but I'm still worried. This must have been hard for him."

"I'll pretend you were actually thinking about that and continue dancing." Foreman chuckled as he twirled her around the floor, glad he had picked a fast song.

"Foreman! I didn't know you could dance." Cameron said, smiling her first real smile since House's reaction to her earlier.

"Of course I can. What kind of man would I be? My mother made sure I could dance before I reached high school. I hated it then but I must admit, it's come in handy."

"You're not bad. and you picked a great song to ask me. I took swing lessons in high school." Foreman laughed and nodded appreciatively and the finished the song in silence. The band started up again, another fast one. the danced on, the other couples on the floor giving them a little room so they could move more easily.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"You know that eventually, no matter how hard you try, she will notice you staring at her. Or at least, someone other than me will," Wilson muttered to House, trying to get him to be less obvious.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just shocked Foreman hasn't broken one or all of her toes yet. Can we just play the damn game? I know you have pocket aces, but nothing on the table will help you. Full house." House smirked as he laid down his cards, delighting in Jimmy's open mouth as he collected his chips. Deciding that he and his empty glass had had enough, he collected his winnings and headed to the back of the room to cash in, then to revisit his friend Chuck, the bartender.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Cameron was thoroughly enjoying herself for once, when she noticed Chase getting up with a determined look on his face. Thanking Foreman for the dance, she quickly excused herself and hurried out of the room into the deserted clinic.

"I still don't get why you willingly come to these things," his gruff voice sounding louder than normal in the empty space.

She looked up, seemingly not surprised to find him there.

"It gives me some semblance of a social life," she stated simply, sipping the glass of champagne she had grabbed during her hasty retreat.

"So why not go to a bar instead, try to pick up a young 20-something who you can use to fill that teddy bear heart of yours?"

Cameron laughed, shaking her head. He really didn't get it. "House, working for you isn't just a full time job. I love it, but it pretty much consumes me. But that's my choice, and I made it the day I started working for you. I love my job and if I can't go out to a meat market and let college kids buy me drinks, that's my loss."

House nodded his understanding and sipped his scotch.

"So should I call you Ginger or Baby?" House snarked after a few moments of silence.

"I think I prefer Uma. Ginger, while classic, is a little too classic and Baby was naive and annoying," Cameron smiled, clearly enjoying the banter.

"Would that make Foreman John Travolta? Sorry, I just don't see it. Maybe you're Julia Stiles and he's the gangster with the heart of gold who can dislodge the stick from your ass." Cameron opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. House grinned triumphantly, he had gotten the last snark in and once again reassured himself that he had effectively pushed her away again, at least for one night. He turned to leave before he could catch the glimpse of defeat in her eyes.

"House, wait," She called out before she could stop herself. He stopped but didn't turn around. He waited for a few moments, the air becoming heavier as they waited for whatever it was she wanted to say.

"Never mind." She said, hanging her head as he nodded and continued walking. He needed some vicodin, and another drink. She angrily shook her head, berating herself for saying anything at all before heading to House's office. She needed some air.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Grabbing her long black coat, grateful for her good sense in remembering it, she headed out onto the balcony. Wrapping it around her, she breathed deeply, enjoying the way her body relaxed in the comfort of her coat.

"You look beautiful tonight." The kind voice broke through the cold. She hadn't even heard the balcony door open.

"Thanks Wilson," she said with a chuckle.

"You can call me James you know, and I'm glad you find it funny." She could hear the warmth in his smile. It was no wonder he had no problem getting women to be with him.

"It's not that, I appreciate the compliment. It's just I never thought I'd be the type of woman who thrived on compliments."

"What do you mean?

She smiled ruefully. "You're the first person who has said anything tonight. I never even thought it mattered until I realized that."

"House didn't say anything to you?"

"I knew there was a reason why he calls you 'Jimmy the Boy Wonder'," she said with a laugh.

"Did you expect him to say anything to you?"

Heaving a sigh, she knew she was being too girly, too dramatic. She was even annoying herself.

"No, I guess I didn't. I'm sorry James, I'm just being a woman. I need to stop before it becomes a permanent thing." She leaned over the railing, staring at the cars driving by. Jimmy watched her closely, wanting to see if she meant what she said, or just dismissing an issue between her and House. Again.

He was about to say goodnight when he saw her face go ashen and her knees buckle. Moving quicker than he had in a few years, he rushed to catch her before she fell back onto the hard floor.

"You okay there?" He deftly straightened her up, arms around her waist, wanting to move her to a chair.

"Yeah, just got lightheaded for a second."

"Let's get you sitting down, just in case." Cameron nodded, secretly reveling in the fact that someone was showing some affection for her, was touching her, albeit in a "I care about you and don't want you to pass out" kind of way. All the time spent at the hospital didn't leave her much time to cultivate friendships, let alone romances.

Wilson made a move towards the door and stopped suddenly. Cameron, only looking at the floor, recognizing the cane next to the unfamiliar shiny dress shoes.

"Aren't you going to at least buy her dinner first?"


	2. Here's To The Night

Disclaimer: They're not mine. Wish they were though.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry the update took so long, school has been kicking my butt the past few weeks. Hope this chapter is okay, and (kinda) makes up for it. Thank you guys so much for the overwhelming response to this story. I was worried that I didn't write the characters well enough, clearly you guys liked something about it. This is definitely going to be a major project for me, I'm so excited. :) I have a plan for these two.

**Here's To The Night**

The pair just stared at the intruder, knowing what was running through his head right now.

"I mean really," he spat at the still connected doctors, "I thought you were smarter than that, Cameron. Falling for Jimmy's charms? You know what a womanizer he is." Cameron could feel Wilson's blush from where she stood, and Wilson finally let her go.

"Oh don't stop on my account, I'll just stay and watch the show." House sat on the couch and looked at the two expectantly. Wilson shook his head and turned back to Cameron. She kept her face stoic as she shrugged off her coat and put it back on the chair.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?" She smiled graciously, taking comfort in the fact that Wilson would risk House's wrath to make sure she was okay.

"I'll be fine. Thanks James," she said softly, giving him a quick hug, knowing how much it would bother House, and telling by his smile, Wilson knew what she was doing. With a quick nod in House's direction, Wilson quickly walked out of the room, determined to take more of Cuddy's money. Without looking in his direction, Cameron turned away from House and walked back out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing.

She stood there, enjoying the chill in the air, the way it seeped through her skin and buried itself in her bones. Tensing as she heard the door slide open and the familiar step-thump gait of her intruder, she decided not to turn around.

"You know, when we went on that date you coerced me into, he told me to ask about your 'D.H.A.'"

"D.H.A.?" Not bothering to turn around, Cameron finally spoke, her voice huskier than she had intended.

House decided to ignore the decidedly primal quality of her voice and continued. "D.H.A. Dreams, hopes and aspirations. Said it was a 'panty peeler.' Just thought you'd like to know what your new man toy really thinks of you," House snarked.

"He's not my man toy. He was just being nice," Cameron protested, knowing it would do no good.

"So he was being nice by feeling you up? Maybe I should be nicer to you."

"No, you jackass. We were talking out here and I got dizzy, and almost passed out. He caught me and was just helping me inside so I could sit down. Anything else you wanted to know?"

"No," House said quietly, shocked Cameron by not saying anything more. She shivered a little, the cold she was enjoying becoming a little too much in just her dress. They stood in silence for a few minutes, when she was startled by a weight being placed on her shoulders as House covered her bare arms with his tuxedo coat.

After a few seconds she thanked him, and as expected he didn't respond like she thought he would.

"What happened?"

"What happened when?"

"When you almost passed out. Are you being intentionally dense tonight?"

"It happens sometimes. I have low blood pressure and sometimes it hits me. No big deal."

"Sure, no big deal. What if you were out here by yourself?" House hit himself with his cane since she couldn't see, scolding himself for being too openly caring.

"So you're telling me that I should never be alone again? Just in case?"

House didn't reply yet, knowing he had already said more than he should have. He chose his next words carefully. "Do you know how much interviewing for a new Immunologist would suck?"

"Glad to see where your priorities lie."

"And even if I did find one, you're the best lobby art I could have ever hired." Cameron smiled to herself, knowing that that one line was as close to a compliment that she would get from House tonight.

Moving to stand next to her, House hooked his cane on the balcony railing and propped himself up next to her. He could feel the heat emanating from her, she had never looked sexier, her hair falling over her shoulders, a little windblown; she was drowning in his coat.

"What did you want to say to me earlier?" Rolling his eyes at her puzzled expression, he elaborated, "in the clinic? You stopped me from leaving then said 'never mind.' Now, I know you're a woman, so confusing behavior from you is typical, but you're not one to hold back. At least, not lately."

"It was nothing," she said, finally turning to face him. He quickly drank her in, enjoying the way the cold air made her cheeks flush.

"You're lying. It was something."

"I lied before too."

"You mean before tonight? Of course you did, everybody lies."

"You're right, everybody lies."

"Everybody lies, and it's never, never Lupus. Two rules you should live by."

"I was just going to say that you looked nice tonight."

"No you weren't."

"No, I wasn't. But you do." House ignored her compliment and continued staring at her.

"I lied before too. I am damaged, but not in a way you would think," she said quietly.

For the first time, House saw the injury in Cameron's sad green eyes as she turned to walk back into his office.

"Cameron, wait," he said with a sigh, echoing her plea from earlier. She hesitated and he could tell she was trying to decide whether or not he was just toying with her again. He quickly walked into his office, and pulled something out of his file cabinet. He reappeared on the balcony, two helmets in his hands.

"Want to go for a ride?"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

After stopping by the poker table and telling Wilson that he was going to go have a hot, steamy night out with 'his girl," House quickly changed back into the jeans and t-shirt that he had worn to work that day and walked out to the parking lot; Cameron stopping him in mid-thought for the second time that night. He thanked the gods he didn't believe in for giving him the excuse to walk slowly, so he could take her in. Leaning against a pillar, waiting for him, she had left her hair down, but had changed into a long sleeve black shirt with a hood, and dark low rise jeans. He added his thanks for low rise jeans to his non-prayer and tossed her her helmet.

"Do you know how to put it on or should I do it for you?" He smirked, knowing she would catch both meanings.

"Should I be asking you that?" She said quickly, putting her helmet on. He grinned in response, put his cane up and got on his bike, waiting for her to follow suit. As soon as he felt her arms tight around his waist, he started the engine and zipped out of the parking lot.

They drove for a half hour or so, both grateful that they didn't have to fill the space with conversation. Now they were just sitting at a deserted intersection. House watched as the light turned green again, then back to red. He could only imagine what Cameron was thinking. He was just trying to decide whether or not to turn back, whether or not she wanted to keep driving.

And of course Cameron could read his mind. She leaned forward and tapped his left hand, giving him a direction. He smiled as he felt her pressed against him, glad his helmet covered his face. She'd never let him live it down. Revving the engine, he cruised through the intersection, leaving the red light behind.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

One small town later, an IHOP was spotted and on cue, his stomach started growling. He acknowledged that he would actually have to talk to her if they ate together, but he figured he couldn't do too much damage if his mouth was stuffed with pancakes. He pulled into the parking lot and walked into the restaurant, knowing she'd follow.

"Is this okay?" He asked as she sat down, instantly kicking his own ass for asking. Raising an eyebrow, she nodded, the relief washing over her face as the waitress came up to the table. They ordered and sat in silence until the coffee came.

She fixed both of their drinks and was rewarded with a smirk.

"My little do-gooder. I guess old habits die hard?"

"If you made it and didn't like it, you'd only blame me anyway. This way I save you the trouble of trying to come up with another brilliant example of your fascinating wit," she snarked, rolling her eyes as a relaxed grin planted itself firmly on her face.

"Very true. That's why I hired you. You got the smarts."

"I thought I was just lobby art."

"I believe I said you were smart too."

"No, I believe you said I was damaged."

"You are damaged, but-"

"Damaged, intelligent lobby art is still lobby art," she said pointedly, still smiling so he wouldn't take her jabs too seriously.

"And apparently it's chatty too," he grumbled, hating that he had no response. She smirked and silently threw herself a little party for successfully shutting him up.

_Or I could just kiss him. That'll shut him up._ Cameron chuckled to herself, like that would ever happen.

"God where is our food? It can't be that hard to punch a few buttons on a screen, carry some plates, annoy some customers..."

"Not that it's hard when it's one in the morning and we're the only one's here, but waiting tables is harder than it looks."

"And you would know this how?" He asked as the waitress set their pancakes in front of them.

"I used to wait tables at the IHOP back home," she said casually, delicately cutting into her food.

"Allison Cameron waiting tables? I don't believe it. I always picture you as a candy striper at the local hospital, trying to cheer up all the dying little kiddos," he snarked through a mouthful of food.

"Really? I was never a candy striper."

"Too bad. I can just picture you in the outfit," he said with a lecherous grin. She rolled her eyes and unclenched a little more.

After a few minutes of eating and not conversation, House couldn't deal with the silence anymore.

"So you're damaged?"

"I'm not damaged. I don't know why you always assume that I am."

"Liar. You said earlier-"

"I said nothing," she said to her plate, not wanting to make eye contact. House decided to save the next round of questions for later. He'd get it out of her eventually. This time, he decided to keep him mouth shut and let her talk. He watched her as she ate, she looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't willing to say it.

"Spit it out."

"What?" she asked, horrified at the prospect of what he could have meant.

"You want to say something. It's obvious. You look like a fish, you keep on opening and closing your mouth. So spit it out."

"It's nothing."

"Don't be such a girl. What is it?"

"Okay. This one time-"

"At band camp?"

"I never took band. Shut up. This one time, when I was a waitress-"

"At IHOP."

"No shit. Shut up," she deadpanned.

"Oooh grouchy. PMS?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Yes. Because I'm a woman. That's it. Good call, Doctor. Shut up. This one time, when I was a waitress at IHOP, I had this big party, shut up I'm telling this story. Don't make me pull this car over," she laughed as he pouted over her preemptive strike. "So I was at the table taking their order. I didn't notice that the host was seating another party and led them directly behind me. I finished and I stepped backwards away from the table, and managed to trip an 85-year-old woman. Straight to the ground, it was too fast, no one managed to catch her or stop her from falling."

"My god. This explains everything! The years of clenching, all the guilt and compassion. Is that why you became a doctor?"

"Turned out, a few months earlier, she had had hip replacement surgery. I raced into the bathroom and cried for a good 15 minutes, and walked back out. They had been seated in my section, so I gave the table away."

"Did they get it on the cameras?"

"Yes. They made me watch it a few times too," Cameron said sadly, looking like she regretted telling this story. She had only wanted to change the subject.

"I wonder if they still have it. I'm going to need that address."

"I'll get it for you tomorrow."

"Really?"

"No. Let's go though, it's getting late." House nodded, surprising Cameron by not making her pay for his. They stepped outside into the downpour they hadn't noticed earlier.

"Can we drive in this?" Cameron asked, not too sure if it was a stupid question or not, she braced herself for the worst. Again, House surprised her.

"Sure, I'll be careful. Don't worry," He said, almost gently. Cameron nodded and they started the trip back.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"So, you're here. I should go. I'm just glad we don't have to work tomorrow," House said casually as he walked her up to her apartment.

"Not that it would matter. You'd just sleep in even later," she said, grinning.

"You're probably right."

"I know I'm right."

"Okay, okay. Bye."

"Bye House," Cameron said, rolling her eyes, grateful that she knew better than to expect anything more from him. She turned to walk inside when she heard an unusually very quiet man call her name.

"Cameron?" he asked, almost hoping she wouldn't hear him, cursing himself when she did turn around, he told himself to man up and just get it over with. "Thanks. This was fun."

"Yeah, it was." She smiled warmly in return as a bright bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, not missing the worry in his eyes.

"Can you drive in this? I mean, it's not like the rain on the way back. It's pretty bad out there." Cameron only hoped her concern wasn't plastered all over her face, he'd never let her live it down otherwise. He opened his mouth to respond as the sounds of hail pelting the building echoed through the hallway.

"I guess that's a no. Mind if I stay here for a while?"

"No problem. I was just going to watch a movie and then go to bed."

"A movie? At 2:30 in the morning? How irresponsible. I'm so proud!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, grimacing at her witty comeback as she unlocked the door.

She grimaced as House sat on the couch and made himself at home. His wet clothes would drench the couch.

"Want anything to drink? Or some other clothes?"

"Trying to undress me?"

"If I were, I wouldn't ask," she said dryly, enjoying the rare grin now on his face. He would kill her if he knew she saw it. "You're soaked. I have some clothes from the last time my brother was here," she trailed off, wandering off to find where she had put them. She returned a few minutes later, clothes in hand, barefoot wearing blue flannel pajama pants and a tank top. House gulped when he saw her and trying to control his gaze. She was a knockout when she was all dressed up, and even at work, but there was something about a beautiful woman being casual that just tried to make every rational thought leave his head.

"Thanks," he croaked, getting up to change in the bathroom. He returned wearing track pants and a tshirt, sitting back down on the couch, and reaching for his jacket.

"So drinks. What do you have?" He asked, popping a few bitter pills in his mouth.

"What do you have?"

"Some Baileys, Jameson, Jack, Bombay Sapphire, Stoli, etc. Do I have to keep going? I have liquor. What do you want?"

"Trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?"

"I wouldn't have to get you drunk for that. If you don't want liquor, I have pomegranate juice, coke, and skim milk. Not a hard choice."

"Hmmm...feisty. Jameson on the rocks. Three fingers. Can you manage that?"

"I'm not sure. It might be too difficult." He could hear her rolling her eyes. She handed him his drink as she sat down close to the other end of the couch and curled up.

"What the hell is that?" He asked, pointing to her drink.

"Baileys."

"Baileys on the rocks? You are such a woman."

"God you're so observant. Pick a movie,' she said, sipping her drink.

He nodded and they sat through "Jurassic Park" and he snarked his way through each scene, Cameron enjoying his dialogue more than the movie's. The thunderstorm was still severe, so they sat in silence, listening to the hail rap against her windows.

"Thank god I parked under your carport," House said absently. Not sure what to say in this situation, wishing Cameron would say more than just nod. Obviously leaving would be difficult considering the storm, and if this were Wilson, he would just assume he was staying.

"Do you want to stay?" Cameron blurted after a few moments, her face paling as she realized what she said.

"Um-"

"I mean, you don't have to. I was just offering. If you want I can drive you home, and you can get your bike back tomorrow. I could pick you up, or Wilson could, I'm sure he'd be happy to pick you up-"

"Cameron, shut up. I'll stay. Thanks. Hail hurts to drive in." She nodded. He would be staying. Overnight. In her apartment. Sleeping. In her apartment. Overnight. One bedroom down from hers. Staying. Crap. She smiled, collecting herself.

"I just need to put sheets on the bed. It'll just take a few minutes," she said, opening up her linen closet.

"No flowers. Or pastels. I want manly bedding."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**So that story about Cameron working at IHOP and tripping the old lady? Well, it was really me. I used to work at IHOP and it's a true story. Every bit of it. Yep. And to this day, I still feel guilty. She was okay though, not even hurt. :) **_  
_

_Put your name on the line  
Along with place and time  
Want to stay, not to go, I want to ditch the logical  
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well_

_Here's to the nights we felt alive  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry  
Here's to goodbye tomorrow's gonna come too soon_

_All my time is froze in motion  
Can't I stay an hour or two or more  
Don't let me let you go_

**Here's To The Night- Eve 6**


	3. Love Song

Disclaimer: Not mine. Sad.

A/N: hey guys! Can you believe it? Two updates in a row? And you know what, spring break is in a few weeks which means a lot of free time! Thank you all again for your fabulous comments, I can't believe you guys like this! I'm just trying not to make it cliché, but after all, it is a love story, it has to be a little cliché... :o) This chapter is a little on the serious side.

**Love Song**

Cameron finished stripping the bed as House limped into the bathroom to change. Sighing she shook her head, grateful that she had had extra clothes that weren't her late husbands. _I wonder what he would say if he knew House, _she mused, grinning as she knew that any interaction between the two would have resulted in a cane-shaped welt on Jake's shin, and no coffee made for House the next day. _Would he approve though? If he knew what I was thinking? Oh god. Sap. Allison, shut up._ She took the advice and quickly made up the bed. She left the room and House was walking in, mumbling an apology into his chest as she brushed by.

_Why the hell would she apologize?_ He shook his head, he would never understand her. He brushed it off, finding it much easier to ignore that thought than to ignore the heat now beginning to swirl in his stomach. _Get a grip, Greg. Yeah she's hot, but so what? You wanted to grab her right there and throw her on the bed. So what?_ Rolling his eyes, he stopped his inner monologue from going any further. This was becoming a little too cliché for his liking. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he listened as Cameron bustled around the apartment. Wondering if she expected him to stay in his room for the rest of the night, he took a few vicodin and lay down on the bed.

Half an hour later, he was lying there, eyes open, wishing a noise would give him the excuse to "wake up" and go walk around the apartment. After fifteen minutes he gave up and reached for his cane. He quietly opened his door so he wouldn't wake her. _What's that all about?_ He ventured out into the apartment that was supposed to be dark. He walked out to a dozing Immunologist, reclining on the couch, an afghan wrapped around her. A fire was flickering merrily as "Walk the Line" played softly in the background. He set on the edge of the couch, his thigh pushing against her covered toes. He watched as Johnny and June laughed in bed, and he felt the beginnings of a smile starting to form. He decided to ignore the feeling, _and the thought that it might not be terrible if it were Cameron and him playing in bed,_ he rolled his eyes at his sappiness and shifted a little.

"There's coffee in the kitchen if you want it," he heard the bundle of blanket mumble.

"So you are awake. What are you doing out here. It's 4 in the damn morning."

"More like 5. I couldn't sleep."

"So you made coffee and put on an interesting movie? Couldn't you have watched something that would bore you to sleep?"

"Johnny Cash is boring." She smiled, knowing that would rile him up.

"And you're an idiot. Have you even watched this movie?" He asked, standing up in his indignation. "Just because-"

"Hey, while you're up, refill my coffee?" she asked, mentally giving herself a point for getting him to stand up so he could get her a drink.

"You could have just asked you know," he grumbled, secretly proud that she had tricked him. It was such a House thing to do. He had taught her well. Of course he would never let her know that. Walking back into the room, he handed her the mug.

He sat down on the couch, scoffing when she drew her feet a little closer to her body, obviously not wanting to disturb him.

"It's your couch, you can stretch out your legs," he commanded, not looking at her. She hesitated, then uncurled, smiling as she laid her feet in his lap. Gulping, he tried to ignore the warmth that the closeness brought, half regretting his big mouth. _You need to stop this. You don't deserve her. You don't deserve to be happy. Nothing ever works out anyway, you'll only end up alone and miserable again. You'll hurt her. And she'll hurt you. _House nodded slightly, agreeing with his inner monologue, and his big mouth spoke out of turn again.

"So you're still in love with me. Why?"

"I'm sorry, I'm going to need you to repeat that since I obviously have developed some form of hearing loss." She said cautiously, sitting up.

"You're. Still. In. Love. With. Me. Why?" _Oh this is not going to end well._

"I'm not in love with you."

"Oh you so obviously are. Asking me to stay overnight? Such a desperate attempt to lure me into your bed." _Shut up, shut up. House, you idiot!_

"You only want me to be in love with you because it feeds your ego," she murmured, staring at the afghan as she picked at the pills covering it.

"What if I told you I lied while we were on our date?" _Oh this is getting into dangerous territory._

"Then I'd say you were only telling me what you thought I wanted to hear,"she whispered, her eyes flashing dangerously as she finally looked him in the eyes. "You think I want to hear 'Oh Cameron, you make me want to be a better man. I'll stop taking pills, you've changed me. Let me whisk you away for a romantic weekend!'" She snarked in a pretty impressive tenor. "House, let me give you a tip. Women, real women. If you tell them what you think they want to hear, you'll crash and burn every time. You'll choke, and that will be the end. You'll be like the Yankees in October."

He couldn't help but grin, he knew how much she hated sports metaphors.

"I'm serious, House. Stop messing with people, stop messing with me," she said caustically, throwing back the blanket and standing up. She quickly put out the fire as she paused the movie.

"You're more than welcome to stay up, just try to keep the volume down. I don't really feel like hearing Spongebob Squarepants right now," she said, a resigned tone coating her words as she threw the remote on the couch near him and sauntered off towards her room.

He sighed. He knew this was going to happen. Stupid mouth.

"Cameron, wait." As he revised her words from earlier, he was surprised when she didn't stop, just continued to her room.

"Cam-" His voice halted as he was cut off by the firm closing of her bedroom door.

He stood there for a few minutes, listening to her walk around and get ready for bed. As her light clicked off, he started to plan his next move.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Cameron lay in bed, tears streaking hotly down her cheeks as she berated herself for letting him get to her again. She furiously wiped her cheeks and calmed herself down. Feeling herself breathe a little softer, she was comforted by the knowledge that it would seem less depressing in the morning. She pulled her comforter up around her shoulders and buried herself in blankets, grateful for the warmth. She felt her body relaxing, little by little and was almost asleep when she heard the door quietly creak open.

"Cameron?" She had never heard him whisper before, she didn't even realize he had it in him to care enough to whisper.

He tried again, but Cameron didn't move. Partly out of spite, and partly out of sheer curiosity. She needed to see if he would try again. She heard the door click closed and sighed slightly, not sure if she was disappointed in his leaving without another shot at waking her up. She was about to roll over when she felt the mattress press down next to her. She heard him prop his cane on the bedside table, and smiled a little when she heard the familiar rattle of the orange bottle.

Hearing him lie down, she waited a few minutes and rolled over, facing him. She counted to 30 and opened her eyes slightly. He was lying on his back, staring sadly out her window, watching the snow fall. She frowned and for an instant regretted not letting him know she was awake, but she stubbornly told herself she was right, and closed her eyes again.

A few minutes later, longing got the best of her so she opened her eyes again and found herself looking directly in the piercing blue eyes of her boss. Letting out a shriek, she sprang up and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Easily startled?" He asked, an amused grin on his face.

_Oh, you should so not be talking right now_ is what her raised eyebrow paired with a particularly stony glare told him. He became somber, the sad look returning. Thinking it wise, Cameron decided to lie on her back and not say a word, the most neutral position she could think of.

House didn't say anything more, just waited until her calm, steady breathing returned. He studied the young woman in front of him, and decided she was most beautiful when she was sleeping. _Yet another thing I'll never tell her._ She was unclenched and there was no sadness or grief written all over her face. He decided she was asleep and moved to reach out to brush some hair off of her face, and paused in mid-reach. _What the hell are you doing? She'll hate you. She'll quit. She'll kick you out and you'll have to spend the night at Jimmy's again!_ Making up his mind, he deftly pushed the curl aside, and brought his lips close to her ear.

"I _was_ lying on our date," he whispered so softly, he was sure he hadn't woken her. He delicately kissed her shoulder and quickly reviewed his options, choosing to lay his head on her shoulder as he tried to fall asleep.

And Allison Cameron smiled.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**Yeah, I know Cameron hates sports metaphors, but I had to do it. It's a month away from baseball season and I love the Red Sox! Once again, please review :o) You guys seriously don't know how happy it makes me. I'm such a dork. I told my mom that I write fan fiction, and she laughed at me when I explained what it was. :( Gotta love my mom**.

**Okay, about the song thing, I can explain. I was listening to my ipod on shuffle and I just got bombarded with songs that seemed to fit their relationship perfectly, all in a row. So I wrote them down and voila. I know I usually just put excepts from lyrics, but I think this whole song has bit and pieces of both perspectives of their relationship. See? Dork.**

_Head underwater  
And they tell me  
To breathe easy for a while  
Breathing gets harder, even I know that  
Made room for me; but it's too soon to see  
If I'm happy in your hands  
I'm unusually hard to hold on to_

_Blank stares at blank pages  
No easy way to say this  
You mean well, but you make this hard on me_

_I learned the hard way  
That they all say  
Things you want to hear  
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and  
Your twisted words,  
Your help just hurts  
You are not what I thought you were  
Hello to high and dry_

_Convinced me to please you  
Made me think that I need this too  
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am_

_Promise me that you'll leave the light on  
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone  
'cause I believe there's a way you can love me  
Because I say  
I won't write you a love song  
'cause you asked for it  
'cause you need one, you see_

_I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'cause you tell me it's make or break in this  
Is that why you wanted a love song  
'cause you asked for it  
'cause you need one, you see  
I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'cause you tell me it's make or break in this  
If you're on your way  
I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If your heart is nowhere in it  
I don't want it for a minute  
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that  
There's a reason to  
Write you a love song today _

**Love Song- Sara Bareillies**

Yes, I edited the song, cut a few choruses. It's not a commentary on the song, I love the song. But it seemed a bit long on the end of a chapter.


	4. Before I Ever Knew Better

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out guys! It took a while to write, and I was sick last week. A sinus infection, bronchitis, and tonsillitis. Can you believe it? Thank you so so so damn much for all the reviews, and as usual, keep reviewing! I'm really counting on you guys to tell me in each chapter sucks or not. Seriously.

**Before I Ever Knew Better**

Cameron slept fitfully that night. As she tossed and turned, House moaned in pain as she jerked and her hand knocked against his thigh. Grumbling to himself, he got up and staggered into the hallway trying to find his Vicodin. Swallowing the located pills with relief, he stood in the doorway, watching Cameron make faces in her sleep. He would have to take a picture of that one night and save it for a good blackmail opportunity. _Wait, one night? As in, a night other than tonight? I only took two pills, right? I'm not high..._ He rolled his eyes at himself, knowing that there wouldn't be another night. She moaned softly in her sleep, making House chuckle. He would definitely be using _that_ against her in the near future. He limped back to her bed and tried to fall back asleep. Cameron woke up when the mattress dipped beside her. Quickly turning over so he wouldn't notice that she was awake, she curled up into a ball and tried to remember what she had been dreaming about.

_"There we go, just like that!" Cameron cheered for the 10-month-old baby in front of her. Giving her a bright grin, the baby stared at the smiling woman in front of her as she took her first steps on her own._

_"Jake!" Allison called for her husband, knowing that he wouldn't want to miss this._

_"Yeah? Ally, I'm almost done with dinner, can it wait?" Jake said with a loving smile as he walked into the room._

_"I don't think so," she said regretfully, grinning as she pointed to Joan who was still upright and mobile. _

_"Well well well, what do we have here?" Jake said, sitting next to Cameron on the floor, pulling her into a hug._

_"We have an bright, intelligent child who is going to drive us crazy. Her looks she gets from you, her curiosity on the other hand comes from me." Cameron said, leaning forward and scooping up their daughter. Leaning back onto the carpet, she wriggled her way closer to her husband, comfortable sandwiching Joan in between the two._

_"Love you Jake," Cameron said softly as she closed her eyes._

_When she opened them again, she was outside, laying in the grass. Joan was now a toddler, but she was sitting on her chest, smiling down at her as the sun warmed her face._

_"Hey there cookiepants," Cameron said to her daughter, smiling up at her husband as he stroked her hair._

_"Ally?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Love you babe," Jake whispered, leaning over to kiss her softly. She hummed happily to herself as she lost herself in the moment. Here, with her family, she knew she was whole. She wasn't damaged Cameron, she was completely functional Ally. Joan jumped off Cameron's chest and ran a few feet, following the butterfly that had captured her attention._

_Jake smiled at his daughter and Cameron took his hand, lacing her fingers with his._

_"She's beautiful." _

_Jake nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she sure is. Good thing too. If she had ended up looking like me, I don't know what we would have done," he teased, running his finger along the back of her neck, playing with her halter strap._

_Cameron adjusted her green and white sundress so that her legs got a little more sun._

_"Now that's more like it." Jake smiled suggestively at his wife. She sighed and placed his hand on her belly._

_"Hopefully this one will end up with my good looks too," she smiled coyly as she waited for his reaction. He just stared straight ahead, one hand on her stomach, the other twirling her hair._

_"Jake? Jake, what's the matter?" She asked, sitting up, not letting go of his hands. He smiled sadly at her and brushed a tear away from her face, she hadn't even known that she was crying._

_"Jake?" she whispered to him, realizing she could no longer hear Joan playing in the grass. Looking around, her daughter was nowhere to be found.  
_

_"Jake, where's Joan?" Jake pressed a kiss to her forehead and got up to walk away. Cameron sat in the grass, staring at his back as he left her. _

Cameron felt her cheeks burn as the night's second round of tears made their way down her face. She was really going to have to stop crying around House.

The steady sound of House snoring lightly was enough to convince her that he was asleep. Turning over to face him, she noted the orange bottle now resting on the nightstand. Satisfied that he would never hear her, she swallowed and began to whisper.

"I am damaged, House. You were right. I'll never tell you this, but I am. You were right House, everybody lies. I lie. I lied to my husband Jake. After the cancer had metastasized to his brain, we knew there was nothing left that we could do except for a few treatments that would only let him live a month or two longer. So he decided not to continue treatment. I didn't fight his choice because it was what he wanted. I respected his decision. About a month before he died, I found out I was pregnant." House shifted in his sleep, and Cameron waited until he was settled before continuing. Him actually hearing this was the last thing she needed.

"I didn't tell him about the baby," Cameron paused as she waited for the tears that never came. "I figured that it would only hurt him more, knowing that he was leaving a wife and a child. When he died, I was relived in a way. Knowing he wasn't suffering anymore, and knowing that I was no longer keeping anything from him. At his funeral, I had this sudden feeling that it was going to be a girl. I miscarried a week later. I never told anyone but my mother about it. Her name was going to be Joan. And that's it. That's one piece of the puzzle for you." Cameron smiled softly, the kind of smile meant only for herself, and closed her eyes, tiredness numbing her, bringing with it the dark weightlessness of a dreamless sleep. And throughout her whispered confession, House's breathing remained steady. He hadn't slept this well in a long time.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

The morning did not bring chirping birds and sunshine streaming through the window. It was snowing, creating a winter wonderland of already plowed dirty snow and an overcast sky. House woke up to a thumping against the side of the apartment, and quickly figured that it was a tree that had decided not to let him rest in the warm bed of the stunning brunette that was currently lying next to him.

Wincing, he grabbed for the bottle of vicodin and massaged his leg, waiting for the usual morning stiffness to subside. Unsure as to whether or not she had discovered him in her bed last night, he decided not to take a chance, and stood up slowly, hoping she wouldn't wake up.

"Where do you think you're going?" she croaked, sleep thick in her voice.

"God, you sound sexy in the morning," he shot back. "I was just-"

"It's only 8, neither of us got that much sleep last night, and it's apparently disgusting outside. Not to mention we have the day off," she listed, adding an eye roll. "I'm perfectly content to loaf around in bed for another hour or so, and I know for a fact that that guest bedroom bed isn't nearly as comfortable as this one." He nodded and sat back down, perching on the edge of the bed.

"Well you're halfway there. Loafing is easier if you're actually relaxed."

House rolled his eyes since she couldn't see him and relaxed into the pillows, pulling up the comforter that had been kicked off by Cameron during the night.

"Where the hell are you going?" House yelled at Cameron's retreating form as she tied her robe and tried to leave the room.

"Be right back."

"Cameron! Where are you going!" He whined loudly.

"Keep your pants on, I'll be right there!"

"You want me to keep my pants on? That's not what you were moaning in your sleep last night!" House grinned victoriously as he heard her drop some silverware at that moment.

Cameron reappeared a few minutes later with two coffee cups and a newspaper. A little flushed and smiling brightly, she gave him his cup, and took her robe off, crawling back into bed, newspaper already turned to the crossword.

"I thought only Chase did the crossword." Cameron could hear the frown in his voice.

"Chase sucks at the crossword. Chase only does the crossword to look smart."

"Did it work?"

"For about five minutes, then he opened his mouth," she deadpanned, not even glancing at House as she filled in the little boxes.

"Ouch. I've taught you well. Now, do I get anything or do I just get to stare at you?" He could see the corners of her mouth twitch as she tried suppressing a smile. She leaned over and grabbed a little remote off of the nightstand. His face twisted with confusion as she handed it to him.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Is it a remote for your car?"

Shaking her head in amusement she pressed the black button and House watched in amazement as a plasma TV rose up from what he thought was just a really big footboard. He felt something poke his side, and he turned to find Cameron grinning, holding out a remote.

"Do you have any movies?" He asked, trying to play it cool. Cameron silently threw a little party for herself, she knew she had impressed him.

"Try the nightstand next to you." Turning back to her crossword, she watched House out of the corner of her eye. She started laughing to herself when he picked the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, knowing she wouldn't be able to refrain from quoting along with the movie.

"Where's the DVD player?"

"It's built in. On the side there's a slot." House's eyes widened in awe.

She settled back into the pillows and resumed work on her puzzle as House happily drank his coffee.

House watched the movie in silence and tried to refrain from laughing as Cameron said the lines along with the movie perfectly even though she wasnt't really watching.

"So, you watch this movie often?"

"The number's are relatively high," she muttered, not breaking concentration. "Why do you ask?"

"You're speaking along with the movie. Usually that's normal but the accuracy is quite impressive." House rolled his eyes at himself, he didn't know what it was about her that occasionally ruined his usually stellar snarking ability.

"I'll bet you thought I didn't even have a tv before tonight. That all I did was sit around and read medical journals? Maybe talk to my cat a little?"

"You have a cat?"

"No, but I'm betting you thought I did."

House nodded and didn't bother responding. He resumed his concentration on the movie, he hadn't liked it the first time but for some reason it seemed a little less annoying now.

"So you want me to keep my pants on?" House blurted out as Kiera Knightley was being chased around her house by undead pirates.

"What?"

"Earlier. You told me to keep my pants on."

"You're impossible."

"Now that's original," he snarked as he leaned forward and reached over her, grabbing her now empty coffee cup and got up, walking to the kitchen. She sat there, not doing her puzzle, not watching the movie, just waiting to see what was going to happen. She tried to keep her face free of surprise as he came back into the room with the coffee pot and their two cups stacked.

"Couldn't carry two full cups," he said plainly. He unstacked the cups, and she noticed that there was already cream and sugar in both. Taking the pot from him, she poured their coffee and they both went back to what they were doing without saying anything else.

By the time Captain Jack Sparrow had revealed that he had stolen a doubloon from the treasure, she was still working on the crossword, and he had been sitting there and for the past few minutes, had done nothing but stare at her.

"What!" She finally broke down after trying to ignore him.

"You've been working on that crossword puzzle an awfully long time. Are the words too big?" He asked sardonically, attempting to look innocent.

"It's the Sunday New York Times puzzle. It's difficult."

"Well let me help,' he commanded, and pulled her closer, looking over her shoulder. They sat like that for the rest of the movie, and by the end of the credits, they were done.

"See? That wasn't so bad! All you needed was for a man to bail you out and give you the answers!"

"Oh right, and by help you mean telling me to make dirty acrostics out of the answers."

"I hold that my way is more fun. What do you get out of those?"

"It's fun."

"Ehhhh, wrong!" House buzzed. He leaned over, disappearing for a moment before coming back up with another movie. "_This_ is fun!"

"Only you would think "Misery" was fun. Put it in." She said, getting up again, this time with no shouts from House. She came back with a box of pop tarts and it landed in his lap with a thump as she threw it at him.

"Pop tarts? You eat pop tarts?" House asked as he tore a packet open, amazed that Cameron ate junk food.

"Rarely. And by rarely I mean on my mornings off. Now shut up and watch the movie," she smirked as she took a huge bite of her breakfast.

Halfway through the movie, she felt herself drifting off, and she turned on her stomach to stretch out and fall asleep. House smiled softly as he watched her. He decided that she slept like a cat. First she stretched out, then cuddled against the nearest object for reassurance. He nodded in confirmation as she rolled over, and stopped about an inch away from him, her hand resting against his. He stopped the movie and lay down, covering them with her comforter. Half asleep already, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him, the warmth of her body lulling him into a deep sleep.

_He woke with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. He sat up quickly, wincing as the sudden movement pulled against his IV. Pausing, he noticed that he was blessedly pain free. He moved to call the nurse but before he could, his hospital door opened._

_"Stacy, what are you doing here?" He stared at his ex, noting how time had changed her. The lines on her face were deeper and her eyes were blank. She no longer wore her crucifix necklace._

_"Greg, last night you woke up writhing and screaming. The pain was so bad you blacked out. I called an ambulance. There was another infarction," she said, no trace of emotion in her voice. For the first time, he couldn't figure out whether it was on purpose or not. He could not read this woman standing in front of him._

_"No, that's not possible," he croaked, staring her down. "I don't feel any pain."_

_"I told them to amputate. It was too much pain for you." House looked down in horror and saw that she was not lying._

_"What the fuck did you do! You knew I wouldn't want this!"_

_"House, I did what was best for us."_

_"You did what was best for you, you bitch! Get the hell out!" In his fury, he could slowly feel the leg pain coming back._

_"Greg-"_

_"Get out of here! Nurse! Nurse!" House screamed as he frantically pushed the call button, while Stacy stood there unmoving, just watching him. No one came. House called until he blacked out again, the pain too strong._

_When House opened his eyes again, he was in the same hospital room, sans Stacy. Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, he placed his hand at his hip and slowly moved down, feeling only bandaged leg. He couldn't tell what kind of condition his leg was in, if he even had a whole leg left. The door slid open._

_"Allison." He eyed her warily, unsure of the road this was going to go down._

_"Greg-"_

_"What happened?" He asked softly, dreading her answer._

_"You woke up last night, writhing and screaming in pain. I gave you a shot of morphine but that only worked for a few minutes. It hurt too much, you blacked out. I called Wilson and he met me here. He's waiting outside. There was another infarction." He watched her eyes as she spoke, and could only find sorrow. _

_"That's impossible, I don't feel any pain," he whispered, confused as to why she was smiling._

_"We couldn't wake you up Greg. Since you named me your medical proxy, I had to decide what to do."_

_"What-"_

_'"I had them bypass the dead muscle. They put you in a coma. That was three weeks ago," she said, not quite looking him in the eye, afraid of what he would say next._

_"Ally-'_

_"If the pain is still too much, they can go in and remove the dead muscle. I didn't want them to amputate because I knew that's what you wouldn't want. I knew that you originally wanted the bypass the first time. This way, you still have some say in the matter." Her voice regained some confidence as she supported her decision._

_"Cameron, why didn't you amputate? You're right in saying it wasn't what I would have wanted, but I'm sure everyone was pressuring you to make that decision, even Jimmy." Cameron nodded as she quickly walked over to his side, sitting gently on the bed so she wouldn't jostle his IV._

_"Because I knew you wouldn't want it. It's your decision, not mine, even though I'm the one who had to make the call." She closed her eyes and sighed in exhaustion as she reached out and smoothed out some of his hair. He reached out and caught her wrist, forcing her to look at him._

_"Thank you."_

House slowly woke up, and quickly calculated that only half an hour had gone by. He pulled Cameron tighter against him and buried his face in her hair.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_Don't know where to put you anymore  
You can't be kept inside my dresser drawer  
I find the pieces of you in my dreams  
And in the evenings  
Spill out the edge of my mind.  
Memories of you feel like they're miles wide  
It's all I can do to get to the other side  
Of these evenings_

_I'll see you tonight in the back of my mind  
When I remember your skin like I remembered it then  
When you would dress me in white with the look in your eyes  
Knew you'd love me forever  
Before I ever knew better_

**Before I Ever Knew Better- Sara Bareilles**


	5. I Want To Hold Your Hand

Disclaimer: not mine. Sad.

A/N: Yeah, this is kind of filler. But I like it. Hope you guys do too.

**I Want To Hold Your Hand**

This was most unsettling. Lying in his cold bed the next night, he replayed the past day in his head to figure out where he had went wrong. _You know where you went wrong you ignorant ass, she's not here with you, is she?_ Letting out a hearty laugh at his inner monologue, he remembered how vibrant Cameron looked when she finally let go. Relaxed Cameron was something he had never seen before; even on their coerced date, she was clenched. It was his caustic behavior that made her so, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

After their abbreviated movie marathon, he let her know that he had to go home and thanked her, inwardly noting the confusion written all over her face (a grateful Greg House, M.D. was something Wilson didn't even know how to handle). He arrived at his townhouse at the same time as the pizza delivery boy and settled in for another Saturday night of crappy TV and scotch. Which is how he was in his current predicament. He saw nothing wrong with his actions, he hadn't mocked her, hadn't treated her with derision for anything she did, he had been quite polite, the way he saw it. Then why did he feel so shitty? He slowly got up for another glass of scotch to wash down more vicodin, when his cell phone rattled on his nightstand.

Opening it, he brushed aside the strange feeling he got when it wasn't Cameron who had sent it, and rolled his eyes. James.

_Are you still alive? Called you a few times, you didn't answer. Just wanted to make sure you were still breathing and not lying on the floor passed out from too much scotch and vicodin..._

_-J_

Quickly he sent back that he was fine and that texting someone at that hour was reprehensible. How could he be so thoughtless? Satisfied with the lack of response after a few minutes, he picked up the phone again.

_How is that kickass TV of yours? Does it miss me?_

_-House_

A few blocks away, Cameron smiled when she picked up her phone. Usually she would be pissed if someone had sent her a message that late but for a few people she would make exceptions.

_Nah, it's pretty loyal to me. I'm nicer._

House grinned at her provocation. She wanted banter? She would get banter.

Cameron jumped slightly at her phone which was now blaring 'Jump Around.' She picked it up and answered without any pleasantries. "You reprogrammed my phone?'"

"You like it?"

"No. Why that song? And when?"

"Thursday, while you were in the clinic. And it's by _House_ of Pain. It was going to be '_House_ of the Rising Sun' by the-"

"The Animals, I'm not an idiot."

"Okay then, if you're so knowledgeable about truly great rock, who sings 'YYZ?'"

"'YYZ' is instrumental. You proclaim to be all-knowing but that's pretty common knowledge for any Rush fan. I'm not sure what to think now."

House could hear her smirk all the way through the phone. "I'm impressed that you caught that. Two points for that one."

"Why only two?"

"Because you aren't _that_ good," House grinned, pulling himself up so he was leaning against the headboard. Lying down while talking to her was beginning to make his mind wander; and that would have to wait until they were off the phone.

"Oh believe me, I am that good," she purred back, wishing she could see the look on his face. She giggled to herself as she heard him choke on his drink.

"I think that would take some convincing on my part," he blurted, betting she would be too uncomfortable to take this certain line of conversation any further.

She swallowed, and decided that she had said enough. "Okay," she stated simply, and hung up the phone. House stared at the disconnected phone for a few minutes, not sure what was happening. _Oh god, _he thought. _What do I do now?_

Cameron let out a shriek as soon as she confirmed that the call was over. Leaping up from her bed, she grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt and raced to the bathroom. She quickly threw on some deodorant and brushed her teeth as she surveyed her lack of makeup. Deciding that it certainly wouldn't hurt, she dusted her face with powder, added a touch of blush and lip gloss and turned her attention to her clothes. The dark low rise jeans were definitely a must, she ran back to her room to swap the t-shirt for a black racerback tank. Throwing on some flat black flip-flops, she determined that her hair was sufficiently tousled, grabbed her purse and was out the door a mere 10 minutes after she had hung up the phone. It was now or never, and she knew that making her play now instead of waiting for him would win her points. _And besides,_ she reasoned, _he would never make a move if it were up to him._

House was standing in front of his closet deciding whether or not he should change out of his pajama bottoms and t-shirt, just in case she really was on her way over, when he heard a rapping on his front door. After deciding that most of half wanted it to be her and the cowardly half wanted it to be Jimmy, he step-thumped towards the door and opened it up to a flustered brunette.

"Hi," she said, trying to regain some of her confidence from earlier. He raised his eyebrows in greeting and stepped aside, giving her an unspoken invitation in. She decided not to take his speechlessness as an insult and walked past him, straight into the kitchen. He finally regained the ability to speak as she started looking in his cabinets, apparently searching for something.

"Can I help you?"

She chuckled, surprised that he didn't recognize a frantic search for alcohol when he saw one. "Where do you keep the good stuff?" She asked, waving a glass at him. He rewarded her with a half-smile and came to help her. Once she had some scotch in her, she turned to face him, her features set with determination.

"Since when have you drank?" He spoke quickly, determined to make this easier on both of them.

"There are a lot of things you still don't about me." She grinned slyly, sipping the last of her drink. She smirked at the surprised expression he now wore and tried to start again.

"Right. So, at the risk of almost certain mockery, I'm really not sure what I'm doing here." she spoke plainly while wincing inwardly at her naiveté and the fact that she was being so open about it.

"I believe you came to prove me wrong. Apparently, you _are _that good." He said, taking a step closer to her. He took note of everything that Cameron did subconsciously, how her eyes widened, her breathing quickened, how her lips parted slightly. She lowered her eyes, biting her bottom lip, and House knew that she was trying to figure out what to do next. He wanted to grab her and drag her into his bedroom right then, but she looked up, her eyes flashing with bravado, challenging him. He waited a few seconds, letting her suffer a little, then his body decided to overrule and take the burden off of her. He watched as his hand lifted to touch her face, twining his fingers into her hair.

"Cameron, I-"

"Shut up, House," he could feel her smirking into his hand as his thumb traced her lips. He leaned back against the counter and reached out for her, dropping his cane. Her arms wrapped around him as he pulled her in for a kiss, his tongue licking along her lower lip and into her mouth. He broke the kiss and smiled at her. Bending back down, he kissed along her jaw and lazily made his way to her collarbone as her fingers deftly traveled under his shirt, teasing the waistband of his pajamas. He grinned as he tried to pull his focus away from what she was doing and back on the task at hand. He pushed up her shirt a little, fingers grasping her hips. She hoped that there would be bruises there the next day, something to mark her as his. She let her hands roam a little, testing her boundaries. She moved her hands to the front, running them over his chest. His breath hitched as she started teasing his nipple, and keeping her close, he pulling his head back.

"Don't pout," he smirked. 'If you're going to do that, I definitely cannot be standing." she smiled her approval and pulled away, knowing that he would follow her into the bedroom.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and he moved toward her, catching her lips in his as he kept moving, forcing her to move her body back. He helped her shift her legs so she wouldn't accidentally jar his thigh, and continued where they had left off. Cameron let out a moan when he trailed his hand up her shirt. He groaned inwardly, reveling in the warmth of her skin, the soft curve of her breast. She brushed her lips gently against his neck, just bellow his earlobe, sending a jolt through both their bodies. He resumed his earlier work on her collarbone, moving to her shoulders, nudging her tank top out of the way as he explored. She flattened both hands against his chest, enjoying he heat radiating from him. A wicked grin flashed on her face and she reached down to tug on the hem of his shirt. He paused mid-kiss but did not look up. Cameron could feel the panic start to build thinking she had been too rash, then House resumed, ignoring her request. He continued his way down, kissing her shoulders, her chest. He moved around her breasts, teasing her, kissing everything but.

"House, please," she whispered, half hoping he wouldn't hear it but knowing she would have no such luck. He acquiesced, placing a soft, lingering kiss on each one, then moving down. He made his way to her belly button, then reached down to pull her shirt up slightly. Groaning softly at the feel of her bare skin against his lips, he slowly dotted her stomach with kisses, moving up her taut stomach. He heard Cameron whimper again and he abandoned his plan to take this part slow and pushed her shirt up the rest of the way, helping Cameron off with it. She tugged at his hem again, and this time he complied. He leaned back down against her and turned so the were facing each other, legs intertwined. His hands reached for the clasp of her bra, and stopped, silently asking her for permission. She rewarded him with a smile and mewed in pleasure at the feel of their bare skin against each others. They continued for what seemed like hours, necking like they were back in high school, enjoying the simplicity of it, before Cameron pulled away and looked at him with an odd combination of trepidation, lust, and amusement.

"As much as I would like to continue this, it's getting pretty late," she said, her husky voice coated with regret.

"And you probably want to go slowly, right?" He asked carefully, not wanting her to think he was mocking. She nodded, and he gave her a half-smile.

"That's okay. But you don't have to go. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I have a nice warm bed here. I'll even give you something to sleep in."

"Are you sure?"

"No. I actually want you to sleep like that, but you're going to have to 86 the pants. You're wearing way too much clothing," he snarked, waggling his eyebrows at her. She grinned, and slowly sat up, looking around the room. Once she had found what she was looking for, she got up and put on the t-shirt that he had been wearing. Knowing he was staring, she slowly unzipped her jeans and pushed them down, gracefully stepping out of them.

Looking at her in awe, he finally found his voice again. "You ready now? I don't have any stuffed animals for you to sleep with, but if you get scared during the night, you can get yourself a glass of water." She reached down to lightly shove him and walked over to where he had taken off his jeans earlier that night. He nodded in appreciation as he realized that she was getting his vicodin so it would be close if he needed it. Wordlessly, she crawled into bed and they resumed their earlier position, face to face with their legs carefully placed. House smiled as her hand found his.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_Oh please, say to me  
You'll let me be your man  
And please, say to me  
You'll let me hold your hand.  
Now let me hold your hand,  
I want to hold your hand._

_And when I touch you I feel happy inside.  
It's such a feeling that my love  
I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide._

_Yeah, you've got that something,  
I think you'll understand.  
When I'll say that something  
I want to hold your hand._

**I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles**


	6. Hey Jude

Disclaimer: Damn. Can I have House for my birthday?

A/N: Sorry this doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but I promise I'm trying my hardest to get somewhere with this.

**Hey Jude**

Cameron stared down at the street, watching a couple walk down the sidewalk, hand in hand. The girl laughed at something and buried her face in her date's shoulder as he pulled her closer. He kissed her and continued until they reached their restaurant. Cameron frowned at the happy couple, then at herself. She had someone in her life, for the first time in a long time. _You shouldn't resent this couple their happiness simply because someone else didn't get their chance at a life_, she scolded herself. The tears that traced down her face burned as they mixed with the snow that was falling heavily. She sniffed and wiped her cheeks but she didn't hear the door open behind her.

"Do you often spy on people from rooftops?"

"James," she gasped, startled. "Do you often sneak up on people?"

He smiled, a blush tinging his cheeks. "Sorry. Bad habit. Being friends with House has taught me to maintain the element of surprise."

"True. Working with House should have taught me to always be on my guard, but I guess I'm still working on that."

"So why are you still here?" Wilson asked bluntly, acknowledging the hopelessness he saw in her expression.

"I work here," she said softly, a small smile gracing her lips.

"You don't have a case," he gently reminded her. "Everyone else is gone. Tonight is poker night so I know you don't have plans with House, but don't you want a break from this place?"

"Yeah. You're right. I guess I'll go. I came up here for some fresh air, I just hadn't realized it was so late. Thanks James." She flashed him a quick smile and brushed by him, flying down the stairs.

By the time she made it to her apartment, she was choking back sobs, trying to maintain composure until she made it to the safety of her home. She fumbled with the key for a few seconds before finally slipping it in the lock and rushing in, slamming the door behind her. Pressed against the door, sinking to the ground, she wailed, her legs muffling the noise as she curled into a ball. After crying to the point of exhaustion she stood up, wiping her eyes while searching for the phone. She put on a movie while waiting for the Chinese feast she had ordered, and slipped into a light sleep.

She woke up to the delivery boy knocking on the door.She paid him quickly and set the food on the table, grimacing at her wrinkled work clothes, that still smelled like the hospital. She quickly changed and sat down with her food, finished the movie and put on another one. Finally comfortable, she gave in to the sleep that was tugging on her, feeling tears warm her face again. She woke up to the end credits and House sitting on the end of her sofa.

She sat up slowly, wiping sleep from her eyes. "How did you get in here?"

"You should really hide your spare key better. The ledge above your door? Everyone knows to look there," he said, peering down at her as if trying to figure her out.

"I'll pick another place," she said dismissively. "I thought you had poker tonight."

He shrugged. "Only Wilson showed, everyone else canceled. So I sent him packing after a few beers. He gets a little handsy when he's drunk. What's wrong? You look like hell."

"Nothing's wrong, I just woke up, I hope you don't mind that I didn't have the foresight to realize you were dropping by and wake up to spend an hour getting cleaned up for you."

"Wow, you're on the defensive tonight. what crawled up your ass?"

"Nice, House. You come to my apartment on my night off and insult me, then ask why I'm bitchy? I think that's a puzzle even you can figure out."

House rolled his eyes, refraining from a comment that would have gotten him kicked out. "How long have we been dating?"

"About a month."

"And you have to admit, I'm pretty smart for a world-renowned, board-certified diagnostician. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine Greg."

"Don't you trust me?" He said in a low voice, never breaking eye contact. He counted her breaths that filled the silence of the room. Measured and slightly unsteady, he held still, not wanting to scare her into not speaking.

"I don't trust anyone," she whispered, looking away as tears once again threatened to fall.

"Allison."

She smiled faintly, still not used to the intimacy of him saying her first name."He died today."

"Who?"

"Jake." House waited, sensing the story wasn't over. "Two weeks before Christmas we saw the oncologist. He recommended that Jake check into the hospital, to die there. We refused, he wanted to die at home, with the people he loved. Which was me. He had no family, and his best friend Joe disappeared towards the end. We decided to have Christmas early, we both knew he wasn't going to make it to the 25th. He died two days later. I still miss him sometimes, some days more than others. I still love him, though not in the way that I used to. I just mourn the life he never had," she finished, picking at the pills on her blanket, refusing to meet House's stare.

"Is that why you've been so distant the past few days?"

"Yes. I know you already think I'm too caring and emotional, I didn't need any added grief about this."

"Yes, sometimes you are too caring," he started, and quickly continued when he saw the hurt flash in her eyes. "But sometimes more people should be like that. I won't say I wish I was, but sometimes I know I should be like that. More like you." She searched his eyes for any hint of mocking hidden in them.

"You idiot," she said softly, shaking her head. "Don't you realize I barely want to be like me?"

He smiled sadly at her and stood up with a grunt, and started putting her food away. They cleaned up in silence and when they were finished, she silently led him to her bedroom.

"Awesome, I've been waiting to get into bed with you all day. Can we watch a movie?"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Okay Cameron, it's tree picking time. No Charlie Brown trees allowe- House!" Wilson yelped as a snowball hit him in the back of the head. "Can you be a little more immature?"

"James, you of all people should know that that isn't possible!" Cameron finished with a squeal as a snowball pelted her in the back. "House!"

"House, let's just pick a tree and get out of here. It's cold."

"Jimmy, this is Cameron's tree. I have nothing to do with this. I'm the eye candy and you're the hired help."

"And what am I getting out of it?"

"Dinner, Allison's cooking for us back at my place." House said with a grin as Cameron shot him a surprised look.

"That one," she said, pointing to her perfect tree. She called the owner of the tree lot over and paid for it, arranging to have it delivered the next night.

"Wait, if you're getting it delivered, what was Wilson here for?" House asked, the look of confusion on his face matching Wilson's perfectly.

She smiled slyly. "Someone had to keep you entertained so you wouldn't complain the whole time." House stared after her, a smile of admiration replacing the puzzled frown.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After a filling dinner, the exhausted doctors sat down to a bottle of gin. As House lit the fire, Wilson poured very generously.

"Wilson, are you trying to get me drunk?" House mocked, batting his eyelashes.

"Hmmm, let's see. If I had to choose between the 48-year-old bastard and the stunning brunette with legs for days... That's a tough call. I think-" Wilson stopped short as he watched House reach for the poker. "House, I was kidding." His grip loosened a little.

"So you would choose me? Jimmy I'm flattered," House said, throwing himself down next to Cameron and pushing her drink to her lips, encouraging her to drink. She eyed him and chugged her drink. The men exchanged glances as Cameron reached for the bottle.

"I think we're going to need to work hard to keep up," House nodded his agreement and they both threw back the rest of their drinks.

An hour later found them a lot more relaxed. House was sprawled out on the couch with Wilson slumped in the chair as they sipped their drinks.

"House, where'd Allie go?" Wilson whined as he groped for the bottle that was elusively evading his grasp.

"She's at the piano, dumb ass, and if you call her Allie again, I will make sure my cane knows you more intimately than any of your wives ever did."

Cameron clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she tried to hold the laughter in. House and Wilson stared at her, waiting for the punchline. "Dirty!" She managed to gasp in between giggles.

"You want dirty?" House said menacingly, standing up and starting towards her. "I'll show you dir-"

"House! At least keep it in your pants until I leave." House shook his head and plopped back down on the couch.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Cameron started playing the piano fairly well for a drunk woman.

"House, how come she gets to touch your piano and I can't?"

"You whine a lot, has anyone ever told you that? And she gets to touch a lot of things that you don't." Cameron missed a note as she snickered.

"I wish I could play the drums," Cameron offered to the room. The men looked at her, bewildered. "I do! I just don't have enough coordination. Piano, yes. Singing, hell yes. Drums, nooooo." she said, shaking her head wildly.

"I'm tone deaf," Wilson threw out, while House nodded his agreement.

"So you can't even sing "'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?'" Cameron asked with a gleam in her eye as she started playing it.

"Nope."

"Not, 'Hey Jude?' That one's easy." She started the song, House singing along softly while pouring another round for the three of them. Wilson brought Cameron hers and she paused long enough to take it and toast the men and they downed them together. She continued the song, both her and House getting louder until Wilson was forced to join in.

When they were finished, Cameron shook her head. "You're not tone deaf Wilson!"

"Ha!" House guffawed, earning a look from his best friend.

"You're not. Don't let House tell you that, he's just jealous," she shot a sweet smile at Wilson, which House frowned at.

"I've never flown a kite," Wilson said quickly, knowing he needed to change the subject before another sing along ensued.

"Wilson's latest wife had to ask him out."

"House!"

"I think that men are supposed to chase the women, for the most part I mean. I know I'm supposed to be all 'go women' and whatever, but I believe that there's a reason men are supposed to do these things. If the majority of the chase was left to the women, the human race would die out because of sheer embarrassment."

"I've never jumped on a pogo stick." House said.

"I could never use a hula hoop," Cameron offered. House looked at her quickly.

"Which is weird, because when you do that thing with your hips-"

"House!"

"What? I'm just saying..."

Cameron changed the subject quickly. "I think the man who invented pet rocks is a genius."

"Excuse me? I can't believe you just said that. I can't believe I hired you!"

"Think about it," she said, stumbling over the words. "A man takes a bunch of rocks, puts them in a box with easter grass and puts them in cardboard boxes that he passes off as a 'pet carriers.' Then he sells them for four dollars each and becomes a millionaire. Brilliant." House and Wilson sat there, contemplating her words as she played the piano more. Then something clicked.

"Oh boy!" Wilson exclaimed, jumping up too fast and falling back down into the chair.

"Oh boy?"

"It's his way of saying 'I just figured something out, but I can't pull off the sexy, brooding looks House gives when he has an epiphany, so I'll just say 'oh boy' and hope people think I'm a superhero.'"

"'Oh boy' seems to be pretty verbose." House nodded solemnly.

"Shut up, House. And I did mean that 'oh boy.' Allison, you said you could sing." Cameron flushed a deep red at her revelation and she nodded and slowly turned back to the piano and played with the keys. House got up, acting like he needed another drink, but detoured to the piano bench and sat down, his body flush against hers.

"Why don't you sing for us?" Wilson slurred, the alcohol seeping into the dark corners of his body and drawing him into the warmth of a drunken sleep.

"I shouldn't. House on the other hand..."

House turned so his lips brushed her ear, his breath making her shiver. "If you won't play for us, then play for me," he stated simply. She shuddered and nodded, silently thanking the god she didn't believe him that he didn't pull away, his breath warming her neck. She didn't move an inch as she started to play.

_There's a harvest each Saturday night,  
At the bars filled with perfume and hitching a ride.  
A place you can stand for one night and get gone._

_It's clear this conversation ain't doing a thing,  
Cause these boys only listen to me when I sing.  
And I don't feel like singing tonight  
All the same songs._

House felt Cameron's leg shake as he let his hand rest on her thigh, he nudged her with his nose and jerked his head in Wilson's direction. He was already asleep.

_Here in these deep city lights,  
Girl could get lost tonight.  
I'm finding every reason to be gone,  
Nothing here to hold on to.  
Could I hold you?_

_The situation's always the same:  
You got your wolves in their clothes whispering Hollywood's name.  
Stealing gold from the silver they see  
But it's not me._

Her voice faltered for a second as his fingers traced patterns on her leg. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, losing herself in the music that seemed to fuse with her body as he touched her thigh.

_Here in these deep city lights,  
Girl could get lost tonight.  
I'm finding every reason to be gone,  
Nothing here to hold on to.  
Could I hold you?_

_Calling out somebody save me I feel like I'm fading away.  
Calling out somebody save me I feel like I'm fading…  
I'm fading._

_Here in these deep city lights,  
Girl could get lost tonight.  
I'm finding every reason to be gone,  
Nothing here to hold on to.  
Could I hold you? _

Cameron let the notes fade as she played, when she noticed that House was staring at her. She bowed her forehead to meet his, trying to steady her breathing as he reached out and pressed his mouth to hers, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue. Her breath caught as she parted her lips and reached up, clasping her hands around his neck. His hands grasped her hips as he broke the kiss and pulled back, staring at her again.

"What?" She asked self-consciously.

"Nothing." He said gruffly, shaking off any remnants of deep emotion that had been coursing through him. She put a blanket over Wilson and they went to bed.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Cameron stared at the Dean of Medicine in front of her, waiting for the punch line. When none came, she numbly nodded her consent and started tracking down House.

She found him in Coma Guy's room.

"What the hell, House?" She yelled, throwing open the door.

"I see you talked to Cuddy," he said, taking another chip, never peeling his eyes away from the television.

"You're sending me away for a week long conference and you don't even have the decency to tell me about it? I know I had been distant but I thought we cleared all that up. Are you going to send me to a conference every time something goes wrong?"

House sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I didn't send you recently, I chose you a month before we started seeing each other. You were annoying and pushing a Lupus diagnosis. I was irritated."

"Well now you have time to work all that out because I'll be in Dallas for a week. By myself. Good job!" She yelled, turning on her heels and stalking out of the room.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**Okay, please press the pretty button and there will be a prize! Whoever reviews gets...respect. I know, it's not much, but it's all I have to give. :)**

**Seriously, reviews help. A lot.**

_Hey, Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better._

_Hey, Jude, don't be afraid.  
You were made to go out and get her.  
The minute you let her under your skin,  
Then you begin to make it better._

_And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain,  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.,  
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder._

_Hey, Jude! Don't let her down.  
You have found her, now go and get her.  
Remember, to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better._

_So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin,  
You're waiting for someone to perform with.  
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,  
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder._

_Hey, Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better._

**Hey Jude – The Beatles**

**And for those joining mid-story or who have already read the previous ****chapters, I've created a playlist to go with this story, go to my profile for the links. :)**


	7. Desire

A/N: Sorry this is so short, but I wrote and rewrote this chapter and this was the one I liked. Hope you guys do too, please let me know! And just as a reminder, the playlist for this story is still up and running and newly updated. The link for it is on my profile page, just remember to delete the spaces.

Disclaimer: They still won't let my buy him.

**Desire**

Cameron clenched as she pushed the blinds down again. Not seeing what she was looking for, she picked up the phone that had been laying in her lap.

"House, you had damn well better be on your way to pick me up! My flight leaves in 2 hours and since this whole thing is your fault anyway, you agreed to drive me to the airport. Where the hell are you? You're 45 minutes late! It's you fault I'm going to this damn conference anyway!" Cameron finished yelling into the phone and shut it off, hurling it at the cushion next to her. She waited another 15 minutes and sighed. Grabbing her bags, she drove herself to the airport. She plopped down in the hard, unforgiving chairs that the coach passengers had to wait in and check her cell again. No messages. She shut it off and pulled out her laptop. When she finally boarded, she resisted the urge to check her phone again.

House groaned and turned over, his hand automatically reaching out to quell the burning ache in his thigh. He mumbled inaudibly into his pillow and stretched, slamming his palm down on the alarm clock that had been bleeping at him for the better part of the morning.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Standing outside of the airport, Cameron paused, letting the sun caress her face. Basking in the warmth for a few moments, she cursed to herself quietly. _The weather has to be this good when I can't enjoy it..._ She was startled out of her reverie when a passenger trying to cross the lane rolled over her foot with her suitcase. Staring at the back of the oblivious woman, she frowned harder and decided to find a cab and her hotel then proceed to get very, very drunk.

An hour later, she was sitting on her plush bed in the Crescent Hotel. Cuddy, empathizing for her, had booked her in a hotel so luxurious, Cameron was sure her room would have cost upwards of 600 a night had the coordinators of the conference not arranged a group rate. Cameron threw open the curtains to expose the room to the sunny winter day and ordered room service. She jumped as the phone rang again, seconds after she had hung it up..

"This is Dr. Cameron."

"Cameron, you made it. Good."

"Hello Dr. Cuddy, yes I did. The flight was fine and this hotel is incredible!"

"Well, enjoy it. I'm sure a break from House is just what all of his fellows needed. Chase and Foreman have been put on other rotations and House is supposed to be doing clinic work for the week."

"Well, I'm glad to get away for a while, even if it is just for a week."

"Exactly. As doctors we take what we can get in terms of time off. And who knows? Maybe you'll meet someone," Cuddy said awkwardly as the conversation quickly descended into girl talk.

Cameron winced slightly at the secret House and her had been pretty good about keeping so far. "Yeah. Who knows? Thanks again Dr. Cuddy. I should go, they're having a dinner for all the attendees. Have a good week." Cameron hung up the phone, as her room service arrived.

A bottle of wine and two servings of exceptionally good Chinese food later, she remembered her phone was still off. She glanced forlornly at her cell resting on the nightstand and decided not to turn it on. Cuddy obviously knew how to reach her if she needed to, she rationalized, anger churning in her stomach as she grabbed the house phone to call for more wine. And dessert. Dessert was definitely needed.

She was staring intently as the scene that was unfolding before her. Westley and Vizzini were matched in a battle of wits when she heard a soft rapping at her door. She looked towards it in confusion, and it knocked again.

"Door?" She asked it. Getting up slowly, she crept towards the door. "Door? Hello?"

"Room service?" She unclenched and exhaled and quickly stumbled across the room, throwing open the door.

"Hi! Thanks," she mumbled, stepping back into the room. "Come on in, I just need to find my purse." He nodded in thanks, and stepped a few feet into the room.

"This movie sucks," she declared, holding out a ten dollar bill for the man. "I mean, how can he be mad at her for being engaged to someone else? It's not like it's been six months! Years! Years she waited before she ended up engaged to the prince. She thought he was dead! It's not like he came back when he could have, he stayed away to make his fortune! And they're perfect for each other," she trailed off with a whisper. "He's there for her. He would never forget to pick her up like he promised, especially not after he shipped her off for a week." She sobered up a bit as she felt the tears hot on her cheeks and looked up at the embarrassed worker and apologized, fishing out another five dollar bill from her purse. With a smile, he told her not to worry and left the room.

Cameron sat on her bed for a moment and fumed; she turned towards her phone. Glaring at the offending object, she reached forward and flipped it open. Turning it on, she placed the phone back on the nightstand, making sure the volume was up. A few seconds later it rattled against the hard wood, telling her she had multiple voicemails and text messages. She bypassed them all and pressed #2 on her speed dial, and took a long draw from her overfilled glass of wine for courage.

There was only time for half a ring when he picked up, breathless. "Allison, I-"

"You're paying for my airport parking bill." She clicked the phone shut and looked at it in disbelief. She hastily pressed redial and blurted out "I didn't mean to do that!" She waited for his response and started to worry when all she heard was deep, even breaths coming through her speaker. "Greg?"

"I overslept." He muttered quickly.

"You know, I've been sitting all day, at the airport, in a plane, in my hotel room getting drunk, blaming myself for this. I've been to clingy, you don't want to be with me anymore and this is how you're telling me, I've pushed you away, blah blah blah!"

"Allison-"

"Nope. My turn. It was stupid to oversleep. But it happens. That's not what I'm mad about anymore. You were right in telling me I should have asked someone else. That's fine. But you sent me away on this stupid trip, and didn't even bother to tell me about it! I had to hear about it from Cuddy yesterday. And now, I have an empty tree in my apartment, I can't water it so it doesn't really matter that I can't decorate it for Christmas, it'll be dead by the time I get back anyway! I just called to tell you don't bother contacting me this week unless it's an emergency." Cameron drew the phone away from her ear slowly, the image of it blurred by the tears now flowing freely. After finishing off her last glass of wine and ice cream sundae, she changed the channel to some mundane movie she had seen numerous times and got ready for bed. As she turned down the volume, the hum of the dialogue and glow from the television mixed with the alcohol, and lulled her to sleep as she clutched an extra pillow in her arms.

She woke up early the next morning, groaning at the pounding bass line that was her headache. She took a few ibuprofen and checked her phone. One new text and one new call. As she pulled on her workout clothes, she decided to leave her phone in her room the rest of the week, figuring anyone who needed her could call the hotel.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

As he tried calling her back again, he rolled his eyes when it went straight to voicemail. _It was off_. House grunted as he threw his cane at the wall, deriving no satisfaction from the loud thunk it made as wood met wood. He picked up the phone for what seemed like the millionth time that night and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" Came the groggy voice. "House, it's one in the morning. What?"

"Wilson, I fucked up."

"You sent Cameron on a conference because she was bugging you a month ago. Yeah, you did."

"You sound tired."

"I am."

"What do I do?"

"You know what to do. Goodnight, House. Lunch tomorrow, we'll talk." House frowned as Wilson hung up the phone. He downed the last of his scotch and sent Allison a quick text message, limping cane-less towards his bedroom. He sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed, leaning back so he could swing his leg up. He stopped in mid swing and slowly retrieved his phone from the other room. Staring at it, he realized he had no one he could call and discuss this with. _What if she's given up on you?_ The little voice in the back of his mind taunted him. _It was only a matter of time, House. She waited for you for so long. What did you think she would do when she found out who you really were? _He told himself to shut the fuck up and got into bed, staring dully at the ceiling while trying to reason with himself.

He turned over cautiously, dreading what the clock would tell him; 2:30am was what it cheerfully announced. Groaning, he reached to turn on his electric blanket, making sure it was tucked around his thigh. He eyed her usual pillow cautiously, tentatively grabbing it and bringing it to his nose. Closing his eyes, he inhaled, hoping to be calmed by her scent. Nothing. He had washed his sheets since the last time she had slept over. Chucking it across the room, he opened the drawer on his nightstand and took out a a few NyQuil so he could sleep and stop thinking.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

During her workout, she had convinced herself to end the cell phone strike and check her text messages as soon as she got back to her room. As expected, all were messages asking her to call, except for the latest one, sent in the middle of the night.

_I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry._

_-Greg_

She smiled slightly, and decided to text him back.

_My flight lands in Princeton at 9:15 Friday night._

_Allison_

She smiled uneasily. Hopefully he would get the hint. She quickly shed her clothes and stepped into the hot shower, letting the pulsating shower head massage her back. She reached back to turn the heat up higher and closed her eyes, letting the stress of the past few days go. Opening her eyes, she frowned as black spots obscured her vision. She quickly became disoriented and reached out her hand to steady herself, attempting to feel her way out of the bathroom. She fell to her knees as she stumbled through the door frame and passed out.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

**Well, I know I'm mean, but I'm not that mean. You guys know me. Just trust me. :) **

**Okay, so the title doesn't exactly match up to what I'm sure everyone thought it did. But I thought the song fit. The player has been updated with this song, so heck the link for it on my profile if you wish.  
**

_You know me. You know my way in.  
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,  
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me,  
That you run and never tire.  
Desire.  
_

**Desire – Ryan Adams**


	8. A Merry Little Christmas

Disclaimer: Not Mine

**Author's note:** Thanks everyone for being so patient with me, it's been a crazy few months, no time for writing. The gigantic case of writer's block didn't help either. I know it's short, but the next chapter will (should) be up in a few days. As always reviews are welcomed and sometimes rewarded with free cookies, shipping and handling not included.

And, as always, the playlist for this story is still up and running and newly updated. The link for it is on my profile page, just remember to delete the spaces.

**A Merry Little Christmas**

"Miss? Miss, are you alright?"

Cameron groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the middle-aged woman shaking her shoulder.

"Oh thank god," the woman said, sitting back, staring up at the ceiling in relief. "Do you need a doctor? There's a convention this week and they're all staying here. I could get one for you."

"I am a doctor," Cameron groaned, sitting up slowly, wrapping the towel that the maid had placed on her around her. She thanked the woman and stood up, slowly walking towards the bed. She calmed the terrified maid down and thanked her again as she left. She quickly shed the towel and got under the covers.

She woke up a few hours later to the shrill ringing out the house phone.

"Hello?"

"Allison, are you alright?"

Cameron winced. "Yes, Dr. Cuddy, I'm well."

"Did something happen? I received a call from the concierge since I listed myself as the person to contact in case of emergency."

"I'm fine now Lisa, thank you for calling," Cameron relaxed and sank back into her pillow. "I was showering and wasn't thinking. I had the hot water on too high and my blood pressure dropped. I passed out in the doorway; a maid found me. I'm resting now, I'll be fine to attend the conference for the rest of the week."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Friday night, Cameron walked off the plane with a shaky sigh, hoping that he would be on the other end of this trip, waiting for her. She exited the tarmac and looked around at the cheery faces of the people waiting for their loved ones to come home for Christmas. One not-so-cheery face was missing. She felt her hope wither, and steeled herself, resolving not to be disappointed yet. She rushed to the luggage claim, and once she picked out hers, she rushed outside still hoping he might be there waiting for her.

Instead she was greeted by a sheepish looking Wilson, who, with a grin, pulled her into a hug. She smiled, grateful for a friend.

"Wilson, good to see you," she said. Blinking back the tears that threatened to rush down her face, she smiled and put her luggage in the car.

He was silent until they pulled onto the interstate. "House sends his regrets-"

"I'm sure he does," was her dry reply.

"He had a patient emergency. Foreman went out of town for the holiday and Chase went skiing again. No one else could cover it. He really is sorry."

"Of course he is. It's Christmas eve, why wouldn't he be?"

"You know what it's like." Wilson muttered.

She sighed. "You're right, I do. It's not fair of me to be this upset." The rest of the ride was quiet until Cameron thanked him for the ride.

"It's not a problem Cameron, glad I could help out."

She waved away his offer to help with the luggage, and, giving him a hug, sent him on his way. She dragged her luggage behind her up the three flights of stairs, and once in the apartment, completely forgot that she had dropped it in the hallway so she could unlock the door.

Her tree was standing proudly in the corner, a dark, luscious green, the kind obtained only after meticulous care and it was twinkling with white lights that reflected off gold and red glass balls; it needed more decorating, but was a beautiful home for the presents that were tucked under it. More lights were strung up all around her apartment, and in her kitchen, a plain gingerbread house sat on the table. A fire crackled merrily in the fireplace and Christmas music she knew she did not own was coming from her stereo.

She was shocked out of her trance by a knock on the door. Turning around to face her guest, her smiled widened when she saw that not only was it House, but it was House carrying two stockings.

He blushed, smirking as he held them up. "To hang over the fireplace."

"You did all this?" She said, closing the gap between them.

"Who else?"

She sank into the warm embrace. "You," she said with a kiss. "Or decorator elves."

"Damn elves always getting credit for my work."

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo **

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas,  
Let your heart be light  
From now on,  
our troubles will be out of sight_

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas,  
Make the yuletide gay,  
From now on,  
our troubles will be miles away._

_Here we are as in olden days,  
Happy golden days of yore.  
Faithful friends who are dear to us  
Gather near to us once more._

_Through the years  
We all will be together,  
If the Fates allow  
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.  
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now. _

**Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay**


End file.
